Mercuriadis told the BBC, "We are in the middle of a tour. The Swedish authorities were very aware of this, yet continually threatened us over a 12 hour period with between five days and three weeks incarceration without bail if Axl did not 'co-operate'."

"They were fully aware that there were millions of dollars at stake, not to mention the hopes of tens of thousands of fans who had paid for tickets to see Guns N' Roses.

"The point is, the police report should not be taken at face value, and if one were to be explicit, this experience is tantamount to being held for ransom."